-Brian Mendonça
March always
seems to have a plethora of activities lined up. This March is living up to its
reputation too. What with the end of the semester in sight, final exams a
breath away . . . the end of the
financial year . . . Spring festivities . . . and yes, COVID-19.
Seminars are usually
slotted around this time. At the last one I greeted a lady colleague and
spontaneously stretched my hand. She demurred at first, then accepted it with
the greatest reluctance, her wan face contorting with discomfiture, saying, ‘We
shouldn’t be doing this.’ Stung by the chastisement in public, I hastily
withdrew my hand. ‘Fair enough’ I thought to myself seething in my seat in silence.
During the lunch
break, another female colleague burst into the conference hall and proceeded to
pump colleague number one’s hand and smooch her. As I watched in dismay I felt
that there were always exceptions to the rule. In a few hours we would be
celebrating Women’s Day anyway.
What was
striking to me was the marked difference in the choice of topics between
faculty and those by students at the seminar. While faculty stayed with
traditional - if staid - topics in English literature, students blazed a new
trail with fine presentations on new media, computer games, Canadian women’s
poetry, graphic memoirs, fusion music, the transgender in advertisements, and
the travails of house maids. A critique
of the portrayal of the character of Draupadi in Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni was adjudged the
best.*
On the way back
from the seminar I also scouted around for car seat covers. I was given a
tip-off from Warren that I could try opposite the Mapusa police station. I
stepped into Metro Auto Accessories, Garden Centre II, and picked up some nifty
seat covers for a very reasonable price. Mahadev also fitted them willingly. Since
the Royal Enfield genuine spares shop is next door, I also saw some fierce
types swagger down and get what they wanted.
In the evening I
took my laptop to the dealers at the Techno Park on CHOGM road. My LCD screen
had developed an ugly black spot that was becoming larger like an amoeba. While
replacing the screen Dwayzel said that it was good that the 15. 6 inch screen
was in stock. Since China was manufacturing all the peripherals, it would be
difficult to source these in the near future, he said as he rushed off to see
FC Goa bow out of the ISL.
Next I went to
repair my table lamp. After examining it, the amiable electrician said the LED
light had fused because of a sort circuit. Since the Integrated circuits (I.C.)
come from China, he didn’t have a replacement.
Dwayne
started his piano classes at Talent Music Academy, CHOGM road. The Saturday class has helped him – and us – to
get back to music. When he sings and plays
it fills the hall. We just have to give him the confidence.
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*National
Seminar on ‘Assimilating the Change: Assessing the Role of Gender and Culture in the Post-Colonial World’ organized by Department of English, Dnyanprassarak Mandal’s
College and Research Centre, Assagao, Goa, 6-7 March 2020.
Published in Gomantak Times Weekender, Panjim, Goa on Sunday, 22 March 2020. Pic of 8th of March postcard with Palekh painting by Konstantin Andrianov,. Courtesy puzzles-games(dot)eu
Published in Gomantak Times Weekender, Panjim, Goa on Sunday, 22 March 2020. Pic of 8th of March postcard with Palekh painting by Konstantin Andrianov,. Courtesy puzzles-games(dot)eu
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